Coral go best odds on Ronaldo and Costa scoring first in Madrid derby

When it comes to important games in the Copa del Rey, Cristiano Ronaldo invariably steps up to the mark, so Coral’s decision to offer the top industry price of 3/1 that Ronaldo scores first against Atletico Madrid should not be ignored.

Rewind back to the Copa del Rey final of 2011 and it was Ronaldo that scored the only goal in extra time to sink Barcelona.

In the following season against the same opposition, Ronaldo scored in both quarter-final legs as Real Madrid went out and then last season, he opened the scoring at the Nou Camp to help his side into the final, before doing the same in the final in the extra-time defeat to Atletico.

Ronaldo’s impact in the competition this season has been minimal by his standards, with just one goal across Real Madrid’s six games, but this is the calibre of opposition that he typically springs to life against.

Since Atletico won 1-0 at the Bernabeu in September, Copa del Rey aside, Ronaldo has scored in all of Real Madrid’s home games and in this run of seven fixtures, he has netted 14 times.

Furthermore, in four of these games, he has opened the scoring.

Looking further afield, Ronaldo has 22 in 18 games home and away, which includes breaking the deadlock in each of the last two, at home to Granada and away to Athletic Bilbao.

Not only are Coral offering the best price on Ronaldo scoring first in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, the bookmaker are doing the same for chief Atletico Madrid goal-getter Diego Costa.

Real Madrid may not have conceded a single goal in reaching this stage of the tournament, but Costa has found the target in each of his last two meetings with them.

It is 6/1 that Costa scores first and only Real Sociedad’s Antoine Griezmann and Javi Guerra of Valladolid have struck first in La LIga more than Ronaldo and Costa this season.

In terms of match betting, it is 17/20 that Real Madrid win with their home advantage, 10/3 on a third successive Atletico Madrid triumph against their neighbours and 5/2 on the draw.